Automatic brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet L J.M.STONE AUTOMATIC BRAKE.

N0. 479,577. Patented July26, 1892.

(No Model.) 28heets-Sheet 2.. J. M. STONE.

AUTOMATIC. BRAKE.

IEQQIJEP I J re 'jaszme Patented July 26, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.lEREY STONE, OF HOWES VALLEY, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,577, dated July 26, 1892.

Application filed February 25, 1892. Serial No. 422,810. (No model.) I

will prevent the tongue of a Vehicle from be ing thrown up while going downhill and which will be purely automatic in its'operation or in all grades and which may be readily arranged for backing.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a running-gear provided with a brake constructed in accordance with this invention.-

Fig. 2 is a reverse plan view. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the brake-lever and the front end of the tongue. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view illustrating the manner of regulating the tension of the spring for throwing the brake-shoes off the wheels.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

l designates a brake-bar arranged in keepers 2 on the lower faces of the front hounds 3 of a running-gear and provided at its ends with brake-shoes 4, arranged to brake the front wheels of the running-gear, whereby accumulation of mud and dirt on the upper faces of the brake-shoes and the brake-bar is prevented, the mud on the front wheels striking the lower faces of the brake-shoes and falling off. The brake is applied automatically by the draft-animals, which are connected with the upper end of a lever 5, and the lower end of the lever is connected by a rod 6 with the front end of converging rods 7, which have their rear ends secured to the hooks, which respectively engage the lower end of the brake-lever, and an eye at the front ends of the converging rods 7. The brake'is normally held off of the wheel by a spring 10, which ishorizontally disposed and is centrally secured to the front face of the brake-bar, and the ends of the spring are interposed between the front ends of the keepers 2 and the brakebar. The tension of the spring is regulated by pins 11, which are vertically disposed and are adapted to be arranged in any of the perforations 12 and 13 of the front hounds and the keepers.

In backing the vehicle the brake is held off the wheels by a latch 15, which is pivoted between the sides 8 of the brake-lever near the upper end of the latter and is arranged to engage a flange or projection 16 of a plate 17, secured to the upper face of the tongue. The pivot 18 of the latch 15 is extended and formed into a thumb-piece, by which the latch may be turned. The latch when engaged with the flange or projection 16 of the plate 17 holds the upper end of the lever forward to enable the spring 10 to throw the brakeshoes off the wheels.

The brake may be arranged to operate on the main wheels. It forms a convenient step. It prevents the tongue flying up when a Vehicle is going downgrade. It is adapted to operate on any grade, and the steeper the grade the greater the application of the brake. There is no unnecessary labor in traveling over rough roads, and by it a vehicle may be stopped wherever desired.

What I claim is- In a brake, the combination of' a runninggear having its front hounds provided with perforations, keepers arranged on the lower faces of the front hounds and provided with the spring, and a brake-lever having a longi tudinal opening to receive the tongue and fulcrumed on the same and connected with the brake-bar and provided at its upper end with a latch to engage the said projection, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as I 5 my oWn I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of tWo witnesses.

JEREY M. STONE.

Witnesses:

W. J. LAYMAN, W. L. BARNES. 

